New York City to host WorldPride on 50th anniversary of Stonewall riots

New York City will host WorldPride in 2019, it has been confirmed – 50 years on from the Stonewall riots. The city has been chosen as the latest host of the international LGBT Pride event, which celebrates equality in cities around the world. WorldPride was last held in 2014 in Toronto, and has previously been

Canada’s new prime minister is a passionate advocate for gay rights

On the 19th of October, 2015 Canadian LGBT rights advocates welcomed Justin Trudeau’s unexpected defeat of long-time Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reports that Trudeau’s Liberal Party won 54 percent of the seats in the Canadian Parliament, compared with the 29 percent that Harper’s Conservative Party retained. The National Democratic Party won

Baltic Pride 2016 March for Equality Will Take Place on the Central Avenue

The National LGBT* Rights Organization LGL congratulates the decision by the Vilnius City Municipality Administration of October 21st, 2015 to facilitate the Baltic Pride 2016 March for Equality on the central avenue in the downtown of Vilnius. The event will take place on June 18th, 2016 (Saturday) on the Gediminas Avenue. The march will culminate

World Medical Association approves new transgender guidelines

The World Medical Association has adopted new transgender guidelines for doctors. At its annual general assembly in Moscow on the 18th of October, 2015, nearly 60 national medical associations agreed that affordable transgender healthcare should be made available to everyone who experiences gender dysphoria. The guidelines, which were proposed by the German Medical Association, aim

Lithuanian Conservative Party Proposes Referendum Idea for Same-Sex Partnerships

On October 19th, 2015 the MP and one of the leaders of the Lithuanian conservative party “Homeland Union” Vilija Aleknaitė-Abramikienė in the course of an interview to the radio station “Žinių radijas” regarding the possible legislation on civil partnerships claimed that “based on the current legal situation, we have to propose a public referendum on

Japan’s new education minister pledges support for LGBTI students

Japan’s new minister of education, culture, sports, science and technology on 14 October pledged support for LGBTI students. Hiroshi Hase said teachers, classmates and family had little understanding of the issues they face. ‘Let me be clear on this: I believe sexual-minority students at elementary and junior high schools have been left out,’ The Japan

Intercultural meeting for EVS volunteers

My on-arrival training took place in the scenery of the Bebrusu Castle. In this amazing location, me, Yuri, and 16 other volunteers from all over the continent joined the training, part of the Erasmus+ program EVS. With a schedule full of different activities, we explored ourselves and took a look at our future months in

Italy kicks off long awaited debate on same-sex civil unions

Italy has finally begun debating a bill to allow same-sex couples to enter civil unions. The debate began on the 14th of October, 2015 on the long-awaited bill, which has the support of Premier Matteo Renzi. Although the debate began this week, campaigners are not holding their breath as the issue is a contentious one,

More people than ever are coming out on Facebook

Research from Facebook shows that more and more people on the platform are opening up about the gender and sexuality. The social network has been monitoring statistics relating to coming out – from expressing an ‘interested in’ of the same gender, or from specifying a custom gender identity. It noted that “consistent with popular perceptions”, more and

On September 17th, 2015, the autumn work agenda of the Parliament of the Republic of Lithuania was approved and contains a long list of initiatives seeking to limit LGBT* rights. Firstly, there is the infamous amendment to the Law on the Fundamentals of Protection of the Rights of Child of the Republic of Lithuania, prohibiting

EU Parliament calls for action to better trans people’s job situation

LGL welcomes the European Parliament’s adoption of the Zaborska Report [1] on equal opportunities and equal treatment of men and women in matters of employment and occupation. Amongst other things the report also calls for trans people’s improved access to justice, proactive measures, non-discrimination laws, and trans-friendly workplaces. It is to highlight in particular that

Association LGL Launches Informational Brochure on Domestic Violence for LBT* Women

What are the main causes and consequences of domestic violence? Is this problem relevant not only for the different-sex couples, but also for the same-sex couples? Where to seek for help, when encountering this negative phenomenon? Is the legal regulations, aiming at preventing domestic violence in Lithuania, is fully applicable to the LBT* women? According